Zhang Qian

zhqcindy@163.com

SHENZHEN has taken fifth place on a list of the top 10 most attractive Chinese cities in the eyes of expats, according to a result released at the 16th Conference on International Exchange of Professionals (CIEP) in Shenzhen over the weekend.

Compared to last year’s ranking, Shenzhen has advanced one place from the 6th spot. Shanghai, Beijing, Hefei and Qingdao are in the first four places.

The other five cities in the top 10 are Hangzhou, Suzhou, Chengdu, Nanjing and Guangzhou.

While Shanghai remains the most attractive city to expats for the sixth consecutive year, Chengdu makes its debut on the list this year.

The selection campaign has been co-conducted by the China Society for Research on International Professional Personnel Exchange and Development and International Talent magazine since 2010.

From November to February, the survey conductors collected 4,066 votes from expat professionals working in China and 25,494 online votes from foreign residents.

A special panel consisting of 68 high-end expat talents was also set up for the selection. The panel included four Nobel laureates, namely Dutch physicist Gerardus ’t Hooft, Swiss and Israeli chemist Avram Hershko, Israeli chemist and material scientist Danny Shechtman and Russian physicist Andre Geim.

The results were announced by Lu Ming with the Ministry of Science and Technology on Saturday. “Falling in love with a country usually starts with affection,” said Lu after making the announcement.

“Currently, millions of expat talents are working and living in China. As they are experiencing the development of Chinese cities, they are also contributing to the changes in every city,” said Lu.

The official added that the implementation of policies regarding working permits and visas for foreign experts in recent years has helped more expats come and stay in China while also helping the country improve in many aspects.